There’s just one week left till Halloween – the one night when it’s actually okay to take candy from strangers.
Trick-or-treating is great fun – we sure wish it wasn’t frowned upon for us to take part – but there’s a lot that goes into getting ready for the big day.
Don’t fret though, we’re here to help. Since we were pretty good at the whole thing back in the day, we have developed a plan of action that will make this as seamless a preparation process as it can be.
The costume
First and foremost, you need to figure out what you’re going to wear. If you haven’t made the decision yet, which is understandable, it’s time. We know this is a delicate choice that sets the tone for your entire Halloween, and shouldn’t be made lightly.
But the reality is, you don’t have much time to waste. If you haven’t gone to places like Spirit Halloween, Donovan’s Party & Novelty or fill-in-the-blank big box store to scope out the selection this year, that might be a good next step. If you’ve already got a running list going, we suggest either narrowing your selection down to a couple or pulling the trigger on the one you’ve been eyeing for the last couple weeks.
The choice really depends on what you plan to use your costume for. So think through all the scenarios where your costume might come into play and rule out certain styles if need be. We trust that you’ll make the right decision. If not, there’s always next year.
A word of advice would be to try it on sometime this week to make sure it fits the right way. It’s also a good time to see if you missed any accessories that will complete your costume.
Trick-or-treat times
The last thing you want to do is get all ready for a big night of asking for candy and realize that you have the wrong day or time.
A friendly reminder is that Penacook and Concord have trick-or-treating on two different nights, so depending on where you live or like to knock on people’s doors for treats, make sure you write it down on the calendar.
Penacook will host Gate Night on Monday from 5 to 7:30 p.m., while Concord does its on Halloween night, also from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Trick-or-treating at Steeplegate Mall will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Halloween. Bow will host its town-wide fun from 5 to 8 p.m.
Candy holder
When choosing the right size carrier for all your candy, think about how long you plan to walk around trick-or-treating. Those plastic orange pumpkins are always a hit and other baskets will do just fine, but if you plan on taking advantage of numerous hours, just make sure whatever you choose is big enough. You don’t want to get into a situation where you don’t have any room for more candy.
One suggestion would be to bring a backup candy holder. A pillow case makes a great choice because it doesn’t take up much space, but can hold a lot of candy once called upon.
Route
There are lots of hot spots in Concord, Penacook and Bow when it comes to scoring lots of candy in a small amount of time.
Over the years, you’ve probably been told or experienced first hand some of the great locations – the neighborhoods with houses close together, and the ones that hand out full size candy bars.
But planning where to go depends on one major factor: will you be walking the whole night? Or will your parents/older siblings be driving you around.
If you’re hitching a ride, you can be a little more loose with your travel plans and just cruise around to see what’s out there. But if you’re leaving your house on foot or getting dropped off, you need to make sure you find the location with the most bang for your buck – like the South End from what we’ve heard.
Plan for candy
Once the trick-or-treating is done, it’s time to go through your candy stash and take some recon to see what you got.
You should most definitely let your parents look through it first, just to ensure your safety.
Then start dividing it up into sections. Make a pile with the best of the best that will be saved for last. Pick out a few pieces to eat that night. Identify the candy you don’t like (if that exists) and make it eligible for a trade with friends.
See if you can at least get the one-piece-per-day rule approved and start setting candy aside for now, until it runs out.
We sure hope you find this useful, and have fun trick-or-treating – wish we could join you for all the festivities.
Insider staff
